


Sometimes bodyswaping is what it takes to get you back home.

by youngjusticewriter



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bodyswap, Canon past torture, Dead Robins Club, Dead Robins Week, Gen, Mild Language, Pre-Under the Red Hood, Protective Alfred Pennyworth, Stephanie Brown Needs a Hug, Stephanie Brown centric, Women Being Awesome, everyone will be needing a hug if I continue this, this is bad (especially the beginning) but I tried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 16:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21497386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngjusticewriter/pseuds/youngjusticewriter
Summary: “Hey Alfred,” Steph croaked out and it was weird to hear the words she said in a deeper voice.A minute dragged on, there was no reply leaving her to wonder if she had somehow missed Alfred hanging up but, nope, she heard someone breathing on the other end.When Alfred finally spoke it was in a cold tone Steph had been on the end of after she had been told of Tim’s identity and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up; mayday, mayday, mayday she thought as Alfred scathingly said, “Whatever prank you are playing it is not the least bit humorous so do not attempt this again.”Okay, so apparently that itch she had felt earlier when she was looking at Sebastian’s photos had been right. She had seen him somewhere before - maybe he really was a criminal - but apparently Steph wasn’t the only who had met him.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 89
Collections: Dead Robins Week 2019.





	Sometimes bodyswaping is what it takes to get you back home.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BelaBellissima](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelaBellissima/gifts).

There was a voice, a woman’s Steph realized a few seconds later despite the throbbing pain from the back of her head, and it was so loud. Screaming that’s the word! 

It took recalling why people screamed that made Steph snap open her eyes. It wasn’t the roof or even that the bright, colorful morning sky that greeted her (and maybe that was a sort of a good thing - there being no bright sky to look at - because her head still was hurting a lot in)., No, it was night time but most importantly: she had woken up in the city, the sight of two sides of apartment buildings were what she saw along with seeing the night sky. You couldn’t really see the stars that great, Steph thought as she lifted up her elbows before putting her palms to concrete so she could get up. 

There was another scream and this time more than one word was said. Steph didn’t know what the woman was saying. It wasn’t English, Arabic, nor did it sound like Swahili that Steph admittedly only knew a little of. It did sound a bit familiar though where she had heard it from she couldn’t recall. 

It was only till Steph got to her feet that she noticed another wrong thing - the biggest red flag actually - since she had woken up. Her legs (which were clad in pair of jeans) were not that tall and nor could her hands have grown a bit bigger over night. Panic welled in her chest, threatening to crash over her like a wave would  
but Steph was Gotham which was like the Hellmouth of criminal activity - her father being one of the many criminals in Gotham actually - and of weird crap happening so she took a deep cold breath (wow the air really was cold here) before shoving that panic down. 

Right now there was a someone who was screaming for help so Steph would be freaking out before trying to figure out what happened her later. First, she need spoil some crime. (Spoil like spoil the fun not like how she use to spoil her dad’s Riddler-want-to-be crimes.) 

It didn’t take long for Steph to find them and honestly despite not knowing what was going on with the whole body switch thing she had to admit a part of her enjoyed being able to run like this; yeah, Steph had been advancing with her physical therapy but she hadn’t been able to run like this since before Black Mask had tortured her with everything but the kitchen sink. Leslie herself had even said she was doing really well considering everything but still a part of Steph couldn’t help but feel frustrated at the progress and wish she could be better already. 

(Maybe it was selfish of her. Least she was still alive, least she wasn’t maimed, unlike so many because of the gang war she had started.) 

When Steph reached almost the end of the alley way one of the men there - there were two assholes in all and, if she had to guess, the woman was behind them - turned around. His face was bright thing as he snarled at her and Steph didn’t need to know whatever language was being spoken to know she was very likely being cussed at. Steph didn’t wonder what cuss word the man was yelling because there was a handgun in his hand and his finger wasn’t outside of the trigger guard. Nope, the idiot was talking towards her with his finger on the trigger. 

He wouldn’t last a last a day in Gotham, Steph thought as she slowly raised her hands (just a bit too big to be her own) in the universally sign of I’m giving up. She stopped though once they reached her chest. The asshole was too busy talking (or rather yelling and probably still cursing) to notice that her hands had stopped which made the move Steph pulled a lot easier. It, the move, had been something Steph had learned in one of the defense lessons Cass had given her back before Tim’s dad made him quit being Robin and Steph had gladly taken his place as Batman’s sidekick which had lead to the souring of their relationship. 

One of her palms shot out to the guy’s wrist which she tightly gripped while her other hand landed on the barrel of the gun. What Steph did next made the man scream at having his finger broken. That’s what you get when you harass a woman, don’t keep your finger off the trigger until the second before you’re ready to shoot, and then started walking up to a person with a weapon that lets you harm your opponent from afar, Steph thought before once again thinking that the guy wouldn’t last a day in Gotham. 

Steph was quick to bend her knees and shoot her hand down to grab the gun.  
She’s not going to shoot them (Steph preferred throwing or just plain old smacking her opponent with bricks over using a gun plus Bruce Warbucks Wayne had a thing against guns) but she would be stupid to just drop the thing where it can be easily be picked up so Steph yeeted it onto the fire escape. It turned out working for free at a clinic racked up good karma points because she actually managed to throw the thing onto the fire escape and the gun doesn’t fall off of it. 

Steph would neither confirm nor deny that she had a big, stupid grin on her face as she proceeded to take out the trash that was in form of two late middle aged men. 

The grin that may or may not have been on Steph’s face wasn’t on her face when she walked over to the woman who had been backed up into a wall earlier and still hadn’t moved from it. There was fear plain as day in the lady’s brown eyes and her nails were digging into the palms of her hands as though she was trying to make her hands to stop trembling. (You didn’t want your fist to be shaking when you punched someone.) 

Considering what she had done earlier Steph didn’t think raising her hands up in a gesture of ‘I’m not going to harm you’ would work so instead she hoped this would work. “Are you okay?” Steph asked in English and, oh, this isn’t Gotham but whoever’s body she’s in most certainly had been from her city once. For some reason hearing that accent, this person having been from Gotham, was just a bit comforting and maybe Steph will desperately being needed that comfort after she’s sorted this out and has to deal with fixing whatever this body switching mess was.

It took a moment for the lady to respond and when she did it was thankfully in a language Steph knew. “Y-Yes, uh, thank you.” The lady told her, but still she eyed Steph warily. Steph wasn’t insulted by that, far from it in fact because least one person of three she’s met so far in this city has a brain that’s they’re using. 

“Is your phone not dead - I’m asking ‘cause can you call the police on them?” 

At Steph’s question the woman started to open her grey purse, her brown eyes flickered between it and at Steph every few seconds. It took less than a minute for the civilian to fish out her phone from the shoulder strap purse. 

“I’m going to sit down over there until the police have,” Step said before she pointed to a spot near the two assholes she had knocked out. “That way in case they wake up again I can make sure they don’t attack you or get away before the police get here.” 

The women’s eyes seemed to soften at Steph’s words and she nodded before going back to dialing the authorities’ number. Steph went over to that spot and took a seat on the concrete without another word. This body’s legs were much longer than hers Steph found out when she brought the jean clad knees under her chin; he probably would still be longer than her own’s body even if Steph put on a pair of high heels. It was at thought that made her wonder if whoever was usually in this body was in Steph’s own back in Africa or if he wasn’t. He hopefully was somewhat decent if he had been trying to save the woman...but then again how many times had she saved some arrogant frat boy trying to be a superhero and had ended up endangering not only the person or people they were trying but themselves as well? 

Well if it was some jerk in her body Steph was sure Leslie could take him. Not only because Leslie was well Leslie but also because Steph’s body was still healing from all that she had endured under Black Mask’s ‘care.’ 

There was siren in a distance and it made Steph wonder if it was for them or for someone else in the city. As she waited to find out Steph checked out the pockets the jeans and jacket she was wearing had instead of apologizing for the grumbling her current body’s stomach was making or wondering if there was place near here that sold waffles.

She ended up finding only a phone, a pair of keys, and a wallet. 

The first two things she looked at was the American passport and a travel visa in the leather wallet. There was something about the photos of Sebastian that made her brain itch like she should know whoever this person was. Maybe they had went to school together or Steph had worked at the same job the guy had... The name on the passport didn’t ring in any bells though and, after Steph couldn’t put a finger on where she had seen him from, she went back to searching through Sebastian’s wallet. Only she stopped rummaging through the wallet when something was tossed her way. Steph shoved the wallet back into the right pocket of her jeans before she got up to pick up what had been thrown to her. She couldn’t read anything on the wrapper but it looked like it was either a bar of food (you know a protein bar or a breakfast bar both of which Tim was too fond of) or maybe it was some sort of candy bar. 

“Your stomach,” the blonde woman suddenly explained. “You’re hungry are you not?” 

She really needed to ask for the civilian’s name because referring to her as lady and woman was starting to get a bit old. 

“Thanks.” Steph told her before asking for her name. 

“It’s Galina,” Galina informed her from where she was still staying up against the wall. “What is yours?” 

“Sebastian,” Steph lied as she opened up the bar. It was a breakfast bar not a plain chocolate bar or some other type of candy bar. Oh it was sweet when she bit into it but it was totally made of cereal so yeah breakfast bar. 

They didn’t talk after that. Steph was too busy gobbling down the bar (Was Sebastian like Tim in the fact he didn’t sit down and eat an actually meal because he were so busy? But, no, Steph realized, you didn’t get this much muscle from not having a good diet and not working out enough.) and Galina apparently didn’t feel like ask anymore questions. The civilian was probably saving up her energy for the police officer’s questions.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Steph thought as the police car finally arrived right outside the alley. Real quick she shoved the wrapper into her pocket - the left one so not get anything sticky on the guy’s wallet or phone - as the police came out of their patrol car. It was the sight of the two cops coming out of the car that made Steph realize it might have been smarter to not have waited around. Steph couldn’t answer their questions not only because she didn’t speak their language but because she didn’t know whoever this was. Steph didn’t know if Sebastian was here in vacation, if he was here for college, or for a job. She didn’t know if he was secretly criminal - because sometimes just because a person was a criminal it didn’t mean they were terrible person...Wreck it Ralph had put it perfectly “just cause you’re a bad guy doesn’t mean you’re a bad guy” though that decency didn’t wipe away they were a criminal. 

Plus cops never were nice to people who weren’t white. 

One of the cop’s started rapidly asking questions to Steph while his partner went over to the two thugs. Steph curled her toes inside of the pair of boot she was wearing and waited until after the guy finished to try and let him know she didn’t speak what she beginning to suspect was Russian. His eyes widen but the guy didn’t look too confused so maybe he spoke a little bit of English too? 

Yup, Steph thought as the officer asked another question but this time in English, he wasn’t that fluent but it was something. Galina by then had joined them and ended up hurrying up the affair because she was better at English than the cop and, unlike Steph, actually spoke the language the man was questioning them in. 

When the officer went to join his partner in putting the two criminals in their car Galina asked her if she was new here. 

Honestly, she didn’t know if Sebastian was but Steph was most certainly new. “Yeah I am.” 

“I need to call a friend of mine to pick me up. We could take you to a hotel and help you get settled in?” She offered to Steph, her nails were no longer digging into her palms therefore making her knuckles white as a ghost.

Karma had to be a thing or maybe people were just this nice when they didn’t live in Gotham which admittedly was like the hellmouth of super villains in America. 

“I have some money so I can rent a room but I don’t speak Russian to actually be to rent a room so that would be amazing.” It was a total guess - her guess from earlier actually - that this language was Russian but apparently she guessed right because Galina didn’t correct her. 

The friend Galina called ended up arriving before the police left. It was another woman who introduced herself as Anya and made the hair on the back of Steph’s neck raise up. There was something about Anya that gave off a feeling Steph’s old best friend, Cass, had given off as well. It was a ‘I may be small but I can totally kick your ass if I wanted’ aura. Honestly, it hurt to look at the newcomer when Steph settled in the back of the car (Galina had called for shotgun and Anya was driving). Guilt was twisting itself into her stomach and that emotion was as painful as a knife being twisted inside of her belly. She wondered how Cass was doing. They hadn’t been close after Steph had taken on the mantle of Robin after Tim’s dad had stopped Tim from being Batman’s sidekick but they still had been best friends once. 

This wasn’t the first time Steph felt bad for leaving her friends in the dark of her survival but Steph had needed to get away from Gotham, needed to get away from the pity or the anger her friends might still feel, and the damage she had caused by starting the gang wars. 

But it had been months since her death and Steph couldn’t help but wonder if by staying and working at the clinic she wasn’t trying to heal and figure herself out but was instead was continuing to run away. Leslie would once again tell her it was stupid to think like that, that she was healing after all her physical therapy that she needed after being tortured by Black Mask wasn’t over, if the doctor was here and knew what Steph was thinking. But Leslie was in Africa and Steph was in some Russian city with only thoughts that were muffled with guilt as company. She wondered then how Sebastian was doing in Africa. Did he know why this whole body switcheroo happened or was Sebastian just as blindsided by it as Steph was?

Would it be fixed naturally because of a time limit of sorts or would they need help. Good karma could only last so long from keeping the universe from being crappy to her so Steph suspected it would turn out to be later. If it turned out they needed help the important question was would Sebastian remember any of what Steph was going to do in this body - who she would have to call for help and most importantly why she called Bruce - once Bruce managed to get their bodies back to normal? 

Considering Steph couldn’t recall any of Sebastian’s memories despite being in his body he hopefully would not. On the off chance he would Steph was sure Bruce had a backup plan whether it be some memory wiping serum or having a League member who could wipe memories do just that to Sebastian. Bruce, Steph had learned, always had a back up plan. Hopefully this time it wouldn’t go down as bad as last time had went when Steph had stolen one of Bruce’s back up plans from his computer in the cave. 

When they reached a hotel Galina, as promised, helped Steph get a room by translating for her and guy that worked at the front desk. Thankfully, Sebastian’s credit card didn’t decline so Steph was able to keep to her end of the promise they had made after the police had finished getting their statements. 

Before Anya and her left, Galina used one of the hotel’s numerous pens to write down her number. “Here,” Galina said as she put the slip of paper she had wrote on into Steph’s hands, “in case you need any help during your stay.” 

“Thank you so much.” And that was the last they spoke to each other before Galina and Anya left the hotel. 

Her hotel room - it was the sixteenth room - was one of the smaller rooms in the building but it was bigger than of her bedrooms. Steph ended up making a beeline to the bed before she shucked off the boots Sebastian had been wearing before this whole mess had happened. To call or not call? And if she did call how would she get them to believe her? It wasn’t smart or probably safe to mention Bruce Wayne’s true nightly activities over a phone. Steph nibbled on her bottom lip as she thought it out. 

Instead of spending who knows how long it would take to figure out the Sebastian’s cell phone passcode (it was a four number passcode so she would eventually figure it out but there would be a lot of attempts) she ended up using the hotel phone that sat on the nightstand. It was an old looking thing but it had numbers Steph knew instead of something else. She ended up calling the manor’s number. Cass didn’t have a phone, Tim was horrible about picking up his phone if he even had it on him (because his dad might have taken away the only phone he knew Tim had which also had to be only phone Steph knew the number of), and Steph didn’t actually know Bruce’s cell phone number. There was a lot Steph didn’t know or wasn’t told about Bruce that were important but she wasn’t going to wallow on Matches Malone and horrible past mistakes. 

It felt like there were butterflies in her stomach but not in a ‘I’ve got a crush’ sense as she waited for her call to be answered; no, the fluttering Steph felt was that of nervousness. 

Someone picked up on her first try. “Wayne residence, Alfred Pennyworth speaking.” 

Something twisted in Steph’s stomach. All the butterfly wings had been torn off but the bugs were still in her stomach, weighing her down even though the butterflies could no longer fly. You’re being stupid, she told herself (but then again when was she ever smart?) as seconds ran by, just open your mouth and speak. 

“Hey Alfred,” Steph croaked out and it was weird to hear the words she said in a deeper voice. 

A minute dragged on, there was no reply leaving her to wonder if she had somehow missed Alfred hanging up but, nope, she heard someone breathing on the other end. 

When Alfred finally spoke it was in a cold tone Steph had been on the end of after she had been told of Tim’s identity and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up; mayday, mayday, mayday she thought as Alfred scathingly said, “Whatever prank you are playing it is not the least bit humorous so do not attempt this again.” 

Okay, so apparently that itch she had felt earlier when she was looking at Sebastian’s photos had been right. She had seen him somewhere before - maybe he really was a criminal - but apparently Steph wasn’t the only who had met him. 

“Don’t hang up!” Steph cried out in a rush because with how pissed off Alfred sounded it probably was what the butler was about to do. “This isn’t some prank, I promise. Look something happened and I need help.” The words hurt to get out (Did she deserve their help after running away and letting them think she was dead?) but maybe if Steph had asked for help after Bruce had fired her for one mistake than starting up one of his backup plans than maybe so many people might not have died. So yeah this was Steph learning from her mistakes and admitting she needed help instead of trying to solve something out of her league. “Look could Bruce hire the person he’s been hanging out with at night to track my phone or something. I’m in Russia but I don’t know which city.” 

“Who are you?” Alfred inquired, his tone wasn’t as a cold as he had been earlier but he didn’t talk warmly to her like he would with Tim. The question would have been weird since early he had recognized the body Steph was in but with the how body switching it wasn’t. She must not be talking like Sebastian would. 

“It’s me, Steph. I’m not dead and not because I was brought back or anything. I never died,” Steph admitted in a ramble before wincing because this whole mess was not how she imagined - and she had imagined it a lot - letting anyone she knew back in Gotham she was alive. “I-I know I probably shouldn’t be asking for help from you guys but I...” With downcasted eyes she trailed off. 

“If what you are saying is true I am happy you have but let me say if you have pull such a farce again I will promise you shall immensely regret messing with the Wayne family’s hearts. Do not leave your hotel unless someone you do not know comes looking for you. I shall go inform Master Wayne.” And with a click the conversation was over. 

Since she was apparently grounded and wouldn’t be interrupted for some time - unless someone she didn’t know came looking for apparently - Steph decided to go looking through Sebastian’s wallet again. Earlier she had only gotten as far as pulling out his passport and travel visa because there had been something about Sebastian’s face that her made her brain itch and then Galina had tossed her something to eat. Plus she had taking out some of the money he had in his wallet to pay for this room but that wasn’t really rummaging through his things like she had been doing earlier and was now doing. Now that she was undisturbed, Steph found what looked like a library card that had a different name (so Sebastian wasn’t new here and now she was getting red flags from the guy because he had a library card under a different names unless it was a friend or boyfriend’s card), she counted what cash she had left Sebastian after having to pay a hotel room, and then she found a single folded photo in the wallet. When she unfolded it, Steph noticed the photo was worn around the edges as though Sebastian often had taken it out of the wallet and held it in his hands. When Steph’s eyes fell on what was photographed her eyes widen and, yeah, if there weren’t any red flags about Sebastian before there most certainly were some now being waved about in her mind. It was a photo of Bruce and Sebastian together. Neither looked that much older expect for both their eyes. God, what was even stranger was how happy Bruce looked in the photo; he was smiling, genuinely smiling instead of that fake smile he gave to press or Steph had seen him direct at his dates, nor was it the almost smile he gave Tim that was so close to reaching his eyes. 

Sebastian obviously wasn’t Dick because she had met Dick before and, if she had woken up in Dick’s body, she would have been Bludhaven not in some unknown Russian city. Obviously she wasn’t in her ex’s body either so that left one last black haired boy Bruce had adopted....What was it that Sherlock said? 

Once you eliminate the impossible, what ever that was left, no matter how crazy, had to be the truth.

And really, Steph thought, it shouldn’t be that shocking that said “Sebastian” might be the Jason - the Robin who was the example given to young sidekicks so not be reckless like he was because Jason had been given a shittier than she had had and that said something - who was suppose to be, you know, dead when she herself was suppose to be dead. 

Steph felt a headache beginning to build and so she rested her head against the headboard. 

So maybe the body she was in was the Jason’s body. Okay, don’t panic, Steph told herself (and wasn’t that easier thought than done), you’re from Gotham and really weird crap happens everyday there. If this was Jason though.... 

Where were his scars? 

How was he - or rather she - able to pick and win a fight earlier? Yeah his death had happened just a few years prior but what she had been told of his actually death (and not the cover story one she vaguely had remembered hearing about years ago on the news) Jason would need years of physical therapy if he miraculously was able to move his legs after what the Joker had done to him. 

Steph ran fingers through her-but-not-hers hair. They, her fingers, end up hitting the wooden headboard at the sound of a phone ringing. It wasn’t the hotel’s phone that was being called. 

No, the phone in her jean pocket was the one that was ringing.

**Author's Note:**

> Tuesday: Bodyswap or Afterlife
> 
> *A boy’s voice usually changes between ten and fifteen. We aren’t told the exact age Jason died - or if we have I don’t remember it - but I’m assuming he was (at least) fifteen. So Alfred would have been there when Jason’s voice changed during puberty. 
> 
> * Why does Steph know two highly spoken languages in Africa? Because apparently after she “died” Leslie took Steph to Africa with her. I headcanon that when Steph wasn’t working on physical therapy she would be trying to learn languages. 
> 
> * I apologize for the beginning of this fic. I lost the part of draft for this fic and you guessed it, that draft part I lost was the beginning. I have a great hatred for having to rewrite parts of a story I’ve already written. I’m not talking about oh, I’m personally choosing to edit or rewrite this part because I think it’s bad. I’m talking about one way or another losing a part of a fic and having to rewrite it. That is what I have a great hatred towards having to do.


End file.
